Students

The first two times I visited the MENA region were during my freshman year, first to Morocco and then to Egypt. At the time, I did not speak Arabic. While I had an incredible time trying new cuisine, admiring incredible architecture, and experiencing the generosity of the Arab people, I had no idea how much more fulfilling my travels would soon become when I returned to the Middle East after acquiring Arabic language skills.

At the end of my freshman year, I participated in a human rights Maymester in Kyrgyzstan. On the way back to the U.S., I spent a month solo-traveling in Turkey. Although not an Arab country, this was my first time meeting Syrian refugees. While I didn’t speak Arabic well, by this time I had taught myself to read and write, so I researched women’s shelters and food banks, translated the addresses, and handed them out on scraps of paper. Being frustrated that I couldn’t verbally connect with the people I wanted to help inspired me to start learning Arabic formally at USC—both to connect with the communities I hoped to support and get in touch with my own Lebanese culture.

When I studied abroad a second time, in the Netherlands, I was eager to return to the Middle East. I returned to Morocco, this time to a new region, with Arabic language abilities, during the holy month of Ramadan, and alone! My first two nights I stayed with an elderly lady in her apartment. She did not speak English, but we were able to communicate almost perfectly in Modern Standard Arabic which allowed me to learn in depth about her life, family, and religion. A moment I will never forget was when she escorted me to the tour bus that picked me up two days later and the tourists on the bus asked me if she was my grandmother; that’s how sincere and emotional our goodbye was! I would have never been able to form this incredible relationship if it weren’t for my Arabic speaking skills. My second time in Morocco was so much more meaningful than the first because I could speak Arabic—I was now able to navigate the streets, negotiate prices, and connect deeply with the locals, who were so kind and hospitable towards me.

While abroad, I was specifically interested in Tunisia, drawn by its reputation as a hidden gem. This turned out to be true; I traveled to Tunisia for a long weekend alone and had the most incredible time, yet didn’t encounter a single international tourist! There were thus many occasions in which I relied solely on Arabic, including a time when I was refused entry to a restaurant for accidentally wearing the opposing soccer team’s jersey! If I had not understood Arabic, I would’ve never realized my blunder. I specifically adored Tunisia due to how local my experience was; I even managed to navigate the extremely confusing local bus system thanks to my Arabic skills. I found Tunisia to be very open minded, with active nightlife, unique food, and incredibly kind people; to say “thank you,” they say عشق, which means “love”!

Eager to experience the Levant, I reached out to organizations in Jordan after the semester ended and was invited to work with the Desert Bloom Center for Sustainable Development. I researched methods for teaching religious coexistence and combating extremism, and led educational seminars for newly-arrived immigrants. The most poignant part of my time, though, was staying with a host family. Only one family member spoke English, so I became extremely dedicated to learning the Shaami dialect. By watching Arabic TV, attending family celebrations (including Eid al-Adha and a family graduation party), and going on local excursions with them, I felt fully immersed in the warmth of Arab hospitality. The Jordanian people were the kindest, most generous, and welcoming people I’ve ever met. Everyone wanted to get to know me—about twenty people invited me to visit their home, and I can barely count the number of gifts I received!

Learning Arabic has opened doors for me across the MENA region; I truly feel I have places to call home across the countries I visited. The warmth of Arab hospitality is truly unexplainable, and speaking Arabic has allowed me to fully connect with the people who have been so welcoming towards me. I am excited to continue improving my Arabic to further deepen these connections, both for the personal fulfillment of doing so and in pursuit of the broader role of communication in dispelling stereotypes and misconceptions.